Spooler.



A. E. RHOADES.

SPOOLER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.6. 1

Patented May 25, 1915.

HE NORRIS PErEkS C0,. PHcmLlTHQ. WASHINGTON, D. c.

@TT STAS PANT FFTQ.

ALONZO E. RHOADES, 0F HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 DRAPEZB, COMPANY, OF I-IOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, .A. QQBEQRATION OF MAINE.

SPOOLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Fatented May 25, 1915.

Application filed August 6, 1918. Serial No. 783,385.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALoNzo E. RHOADES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hopedale, county of Worcester, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Spoolers, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

The invention to be hereinafter described relates to machines known in the art as spoolers, whereby yarns or threads are wound from a series of bobbins onto a series of spools for use in the further preparation of the yarn or thread for the final weaving operation.

In machines of this general type a series of spindles for holding a corresponding series of spools, have been arranged upon suitable spindle rails extending along the longitudinal length of the supporting frame, and driven by a round belt actuated from a tin roller or driving drum disposed centrally between the spindles and extending longitudinally of the frame. Belts of this character do not always serve to drive the series of spindles uniformly owing partly to the character of the belt itself and the stretch to which it is subjected during use, and owing to the construction of the machine parts and their relation it has not heretofore been possible to satisfactorily overcome these and other objections incident to the prior construction with due regard for economy of floor space.

The aims and purposes of the present in vention are to so construct, relate, and combine the mechanical elements that without increasing the floor space consumption the spindles may be driven more uniformly and other desirable attributes introduced, all as will be hereinafter more fully set forth in connection with the accompanying drawings showing one embodiment of means for carrying the invention into practical effect, it being understood that the invention in its true scope is defined by the claims.

In the drawings :-Figure 1 is a cross-see tion of a spooler showing the present invention embodied therein; Fig. 2 is a detail in perspective showing a portion of the tin roller and the single goose-neck arm for operating the guide rail.

The frame of the spooler comprises suitable end pieces 1, and intermediate stands 2 joined by the longitudinal rods 8, 3, which support in appropriate manner the brackets 4: having side extension arms 5 for sustaining the receptacles 6, which may be properly held by adjustable lugs 7. Likewise extending longitudinally between the end frame pieces 1 are the rods 8, 8, on which the bobbin holders 9 are clamped in any suitable manner for holding the bobbins or carriers from which the yarn or thread is drawn to be wound upon spools 10 mounted upon spindles 11. I In machines of this type it is desirable that the spindles and perforce the bobbins mounted thereon be driven uniformly, so that when the winding operation is completed all of the spools shall have been appropriately wound. To this end the present invention contemplates driving the spindles by means of flat or tape bands, one of said bands being preferably employed to drive four spindles, two at opposite sides of the machine. The use of flat or tape bands, however, demands the introduction of belt tighteners on account of the stretch of such bands, especially incident to changes in atmospheric conditions, but in spoolers, as heretofore constructed, the relation of parts has been such as to preclude the use of belt tighteners, and, consequently, the flat or tape bands without at the same time sacrificing floor space by unduly Widening the overall dimensions of the spooler. In the present invention the parts have been so organized and related that the flat or tape band and its accompanying belt-tightener have been introduced while still main taining the original overall width of the machine, as will now be explained.

Extending between the end pieces of the spooler frame are the spindle rails 12, 12, carrying the spindle bearings 13, 13, for the spindles 11 having the whirls or pulleys la. The tin-roller 15 is supported in suitable bearings, as usual, but instead of being centrally located between the spindle rails 12, 12, the tin-roller is positioned nearer one spindle rail than the other, said rails being appropriately separated a greater distance than usual to permit the introduction between the tin-roller and one of the spindle rails of belt tighteners. These belt-tight eners may be of any approved type, but as shown, consist of a pulley or wheel 16 mounted in a yoke 17 preferably swiveled at 19 upon the upper portion of an arm 18. The arm 18 is mounted loosely upon a shaft or rod 20 extending longitudinally along-- side the tin-roller and to this end the shaft or rod 20 has loosely mounted thereon a series of loose collars 21 each provided with a lug 22 to which an arm 18 is secured by suitable means, such as a bolt 23, each carry ing a weight 25, the construction being such that the belt tightener 16 is normally under the influence of the weight 25 tending to move the belt tightener in a. direction away fromv the tin-roller 15.

Passing about the tin-roller 15 is the flat or tape band 26 which also passes around the belt-tightener 16 and from thence back and forth about the whirls or pulleys of two spindles 11 on each side of the spooler, said whirls or pulleys being appropriately .formed to present a suitable pulley surface to the said flat ortape band.

From the construction thus far described it will be noted that the overall width of the spooler has not been changed, and the tin-rollers and belt-tighteners have been disposed between the spindle rails which have themselves been appropriately separated to permit the proper disposition of these parts and the necessary lead for the fiat tape or band from whirlto whirl.

Mounted on and extending transversely of the machine frame is the yarn guide rockshaft 27, see Fig. 2. This shaft is supported in bearings 28 mounted on the spindle rails and appropriately connected by the arms 29 to the guide rails 30 carrying the yarn or thread guides 31, the construction being such that as the guide rails move up and down to lay the yarn or thread upon the spools, the shaft 27 rocks in its bearings. Extending downward from the yarn guide rock-shaft 27 is a single goose-neck or curved arm 32 which has a substantially straight portion between the ring rail 12 and the tinroller 15 and a lower curved portion, theend 83 of which is secured to a rod 34 forming part of any desired form of builder or traverse motion, the construction being such that the rod 34 is moved in one direction as usual, to lift the guide rods, and the weight of the latter serves to move them downward when permitted to do so by the traverse mechanism, which being well understood in the art need not be further described.

From the construction described it will be seen that while the tin-roller and associated belt-tighteners are disposed between the spindle rails at a height with respect to the spindle whirls or pulleys to afford proper lead for the flat bands or tapes, the single gooseneck arnr 32 of the guide rail rockshaft extends down .at one side of the-tinroller to a point below it and the belt-tighteners, the rails being separated for such relation of parts without increasing the overall width of the spooler. V 7

Between the spindles 11 and supported on the machine frame, as by the arch pieces 35, only a part of which is shown by Fig. 1, is a trough 36 for the spool 12. This trough cannot ordinarily be wider than substantially the length of the spools 10 onaccount of the necessary clearance between the sides thereof and the spools as they are being wound, but owing to the increased separation of the spindle rails in the present invention, the trough 36 is sufficiently increased in widthxto accommodate two rows of spools, one transversely and the other longitudinally of the trough an advantage well understood by those skilled in the art. Furthermore, by separating the spindle rails in the manner described, the spindles are brought nearer to the operative in dofl'ing, piecing ends, and the like, so that these operations are facilitated, as will be readily understood, without imposing upon the operatives the uncomfortable and tiresome body lean or inclination incident to spoolers of the old construction.

With the spindle rails separated to permit the tin-roller being placed toward one side of the frame, provision is made for the introduction of the belt tighten'ers so that the flat or tape band may be employed for giving uniform motion to the spindles and spools, and by providing the single gooseneck arm 32 and extending it downward between the tin-roller and the spindle rail 100 nearest to which the tin-roller is disposed, the belt-tighteners are free to perform their tightening function without interference even though the fiat bands or tapes may stretch or become unduly elongated.-

What is claimed is 1. In a spooler, the combination of the spindle rails and spindles, a tin-roller and belt tightener between the spindle rails at opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the machine, a fiat band or tape passing about the tin-roller and belt tightener for driving said spindles, yarn guides for directing the yarn as it is wound by rotation of said spindles, a rock-shaft connected to the 1 yarn guides, a single goose-neck arm extending down from said rock-shaft bet-ween the tin-roller and the adjacent spindle rail, and means for operating the said goose-neck arm.

2. In a machine for winding. yarn or thread onto spools, spindle railsan'd spindles adapted to receive and rotate spools, yarn guides for directing the yarn as it is wound on said spools, a tin-roller and belt-tightener 125 disposed between the spindle rails, a belt passing about the tin-roller and belt tightener and operatively connected to said spindles, a yarn guide .rock shaft extending transversely of the machine and connected 1 to the yarn guides, a single goose-neck arm extending downward from said rock-shaft between the tin-roller and adjacent spindle rail, and a rod forming part of a traverse motion connected to said single goose-neck arm.

3. In a spooler, the combination of a tinroller and belt tightener, spindle rails separated to receive between them said tin-roller and belt tightener, the tin-roller being nearer one of said spindle rails and the belt tightener nearer the other, spindles supported by said rails and adapted to receive spools, means for directing the yarn to the spools as it is wound thereon including a rockshaft, a single goose-neck arm extending from said rock shaft between the tin-roller and the nearer spindle rail, and an operating rod connected to said single goose-neck arm. 4

4. In a spooler, the combination of a tin- Qopies of this patent may be obtained for roller and belt tighteners, spindle rails separated to receive between them said tin-roller and belt tighteners, the tin-roller being nearer one of said spindle rails and the belt tighteners nearer the other, spindles supported by said rails and adapted to receive spools, yarn guides, a rock shaft extending transversely of the machine frame, asingle arm extending downwardly from said rock shaft between the tin roller and adjacent: spindle rail, means for operating said arm, and flat bands passing about the tin roller and belt tighteners.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALONZO E. RHOADES.

Witnesses FRANK H. FRENGH, DANA OSGOOD.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner) of Patents, Washington, D. 0'. 

